Skokie Snapshot: New Skokie firefighters (from left to right) Anthony Figueroa, Rafael Aca Rodriguez, Alejandro Altamirano, Euvangalos Tsakopoulos, Andrew Nichols and Dan Nguyen gear up for high-rise firefighting training at the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy (NIPSTA) on August 18, 2023. View more photos of Skokie firefighter training.
The nine-week Fire Academy program will equip the firefighters with the skills, expertise and knowledge they need to join the Village’s ISO Class 1-rated department, helping protect lives and property. After completing their training and certifications, the new firefighters will join the department as on-shift members, helping the department respond to a trending increase in call volume. In 2021, the department surpassed 10,000 total emergency responses, and is on track to eclipse 11,000 responses this year.
As part of its strong commitment to fiscal responsibility, the fire department secured a three-year, $1.2 million FEMA SAFER grant, which will fund three of the six new firefighter positions for the next three years.
About ‘Skokie Snapshot:’ Local photographer Richard Cahan, a Skokie native who served as the photo editor for the Chicago Sun-Times for 16 years, will periodically be capturing Village operations through his lens.